Page 94 of Crash
“Holy. Shit,” she gasped out in disbelief.
“I know, right! Congrats, babe! I knew you could do it! Where’s that grumpy man of yours?”
“Griffin had to drive into the city to pick up some parts for a car he’s working on. He should be back soon.”
“Make sure you tell him, or I will,” Meg threatened, knowing Quynh would probably try to not make a big deal out of her achievements. “Seriously, babe, you deserve this. I’m so happy for you.”
Meg continued her happy chatter as Quynh sat speechless at her book.
Bestselling author. I’m a bestselling author.
It seemed so impossible.
She sat there long after Meg hung up. She needed to make more calls to share the good news.
The sound of Rover barking as he ran into the house brought her back to the present. She got up from her chair and closed the office door behind her. One time, she left the door open only to find Rover had chewed up her office chair. Griffin replaced it, and she got an upgrade. Her new chair had all the bells and whistles, which allowed her to write and fold down the armrest, giving Pickles space to snuggle up next to her. She even had a leg rest if she wanted to sit back and write.
“Hey, you’re back early!” she shouted from the hallway. She stopped short when she almost ran into Griffin’s hard chest.
Griffin, who was standing with his hands behind his back and a guilty look on his face.
“What’s going on…?” she asked her suspicious husband, worry seeping into her voice.
“I know you didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but…” He grimaced as his words trailed off.
“But what?”
“Here.”
From behind his back, he handed her two things. Abouquet of fresh lilies and orchids, her favorite flowers, and a gift-wrapped bag.
“What is this?” she asked as she reached for the items in his hands. She bent her head to smell the fresh floral scent with a small smile.
“Open it,” he prompted and gently grabbed the bouquet from her.
Hesitantly, she reached into the heavy bag and found several gift-wrapped items. The first one she opened was a fountain pen with her name engraved on the handle.
“So you have a pen for all the autographs you’ll be signing.”
The next gift was bigger and heavier. When she opened the package, she gasped.
“Griffin, I can’t take this!” Quynh gestured at the brand new laptop she had been drooling over for the past few months.
“As a bestselling author, I think it was time for an upgrade.” Griffin’s tone was matter-of-fact. She had been complaining about how outdated her laptop was, which meant she couldn’t install the latest programs for writing or formatting. It would have made her self-publishing journey so much easier if she had upgraded it, but it was not a necessity. She could get by without it, though it probably took her double the time necessary.
Her eyes watered at his thoughtful gestures.
“There’s one more.” He pointed to the bag impatiently.
“I don’t know if I can handle any more of your surprises,” she joked.
“Open it.”
At his urging, she placed the laptop down on the nearby counter and grabbed the last item. It was much smaller than the laptop but was elegantly wrapped. She tore the wrapping paper to reveal a leather-bound journal similar to that of her mother’s. Across the top was her name, which was hand-sewn into the leather. Her fingers traced the stitching.
Quynh looked up at Griffin with confusion.
“So you can write our story for our kids one day.”
